This is a list of the largest sports contracts in North Americansports history. These figures include signing bonuses but exclude options, buyouts, and endorsement deals. This list does not reflect the highest annual salaries or career earnings, only the top 100 largest contracts and thus is largely limited to athletes in team sports and auto racing. Athletes in individual sports, such as golf, tennis, and boxing, are not employed by a team and usually earn money primarily through event winnings. This list also does not necessarily reflect actual money collected by the athletes, since some contracts are eventually terminated. Entries in this list also require an individual citation of the contract, so a number of the highest salaried athletes are not included as their contract details have not been officially confirmed, including the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Roger Federer, Lionel Messi, and Lewis Hamilton. This also skews the list towards sports with salary caps where salaries are therefore public knowledge and easy to cite. The contract figures referenced below are presented at face value and do not reflect potential pre or post-tax treatments. For example, contracts with European sports teams are typically quoted on a post-tax basis.
Largest sports contracts
1 – Mahomes signed a 10-year extension on July 6, 2020. When the deal was first reported, it was reported as being 10 years for $503 million. It was later revealed that this amount includes the final years of the contract he was under at the time and the money remaining on that contract.
2 – Rodriguez's 2014 salary was reduced to $2,868,853 due to his season-long suspension related to the Biogenesis baseball scandal
3 – Rodriguez and Greinke opted out of their contracts after the 2007 and 2015 seasons respectively
4 – Vick's contract was terminated by the Atlanta Falcons after the 2006 season
5 – Based on regular season games only, also in baseball, starting pitchers usually pitch every five games, resting during the interval between starts
R – retired
Injury – While still technically under contract, injury has ended his career
